Rob Astorino says he has one question for the people of New York in his race for governor: “Are we winning as a state or are we losing?”

He says the public believes we’re losing. During a meeting with The Post on Wednesday, he rattled off the dismal measures he says define Gov. Cuomo’s New York: outmigration to other states; the nation’s highest taxes; some of the highest electric rates; the worst business environment, and the worst economic outlook. Not to mention a culture of ­corruption.

The Republican contender says these realities are reflected in a Siena poll in which 44 percent of the public say New York is headed in the wrong direction. If New York is really doing as well as Gov. Cuomo tells us, why so much unease about the future?

In his travels around the state, Astorino says, he’s shocked at how people talk about New York almost as a prison: “‘The kids will be out of school in three years and we’re outta here,’ they say, or ‘I retire in two years and I’m going.’” He finds it “frightening” so many have lost confidence in the future.

Of course, Astorino has his own challenges. The same Siena poll he cites shows Cuomo enjoying a 30-point lead. On top of this, the governor has a $33 million war chest his GOP challenger can’t hope to match. And in addition to running in a state with twice as many enrolled Democrats as Republicans, Astorino has to contend with Republicans for Cuomo, which counts as a member former GOP Sen. Alfonse D’Amato.

It doesn’t seem to faze Astorino. The Westchester county executive says he’s been 30 points behind before in elections and prevailed. And he believes his record of cutting both taxes and spending in Westchester will make an impression on voters looking for a real alternative to what he calls the “status Cuomo.”

It’s too early to offer predictions about November. But it’s not too early to cheer a debate long overdue in New York: about the size, shape and performance of our ever-growing state government in Albany.